We are frequently asked to work on buildings of great age, heritage and style, but that doesn’t always mean that they are “listed” buildings. So what does this actually mean? In simple terms a listing covers the whole of a building, both inside and out. This includes any object or structure fixed to the building, and anything which forms part of the land and has done so since before 1 July 1948. This includes boundary walls, outbuildings, cobbles in courtyards and any signs attached to the building.
Everything built before 1700 which has survived close to its original state will be listed. Buildings dating from between 1700 and 1840 are listed, although some selectivity is applied, while buildings from 1840 to 1914 are selected on the basis of their demonstrating technical advances, having some notable feature, or being designed by a famous architect. More recent buildings are now considered on a similar basis, but have to be nominated for listing. Such nomination has included bridges, barns and even telephone boxes.
English Heritage is the party who administer the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 in England and Wales. They decide whether a structure should be listed, and allocate that structure to one of the following grades:
Grade I: buildings of outstanding or national architectural or historic interest
Grade II*: particularly significant buildings of more than local interest
Grade II: buildings of special architectural or historic interest
Just to confuse things, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport is thinking of changing the term Listed Building to Designated Structure. This is to rationalise the designations so that Scheduled Ancient Monuments, Listed Landscapes, monuments and maritime heritage sites would all be covered by the same system. We can’t wait.
If you want to demolish, alter or extend a listed building, in a manner which affects its character or setting, you need to contact the conservation officer of the local planning authority to establish whether Listed Building Consent (LBC) is required. LBC is similar to planning permission, though no fees are involved. In some circumstances English Heritage will also have to be consulted, though this would normally run in parallel to LBC.
Small grants are available from most local authorities and County Councils to assist in the increased cost associated with repairing a listed building. Such grants will not extend to cover standard maintenance or improvement, but are rather intended to assist with works such as re-roofing, re-pointing, damp proofing and timber treatment. The government contributes to the cost of works by way of VAT concessions, which are a whole further subject.
If you own a listed property and don’t adequately maintain it the local authority may make an application to the Secretary of State for a direction for minimum compensation to be included in a compulsory purchase order. English Heritage may also place the building on it’s At Risk Register.
We hope you found this useful, but if you are in any doubt, want more information, or want a helping hand through the system to get your project off the ground, just get in touch. We have a habit of making these things much easier, and our contacts can help with any difficulty you may be having in the process.
Tags: Archer-Hoblin, listed buildings, VGroup